


Contentment

by PaisleyWraith



Category: South Park
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-10
Updated: 2018-01-10
Packaged: 2019-03-03 07:04:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13335963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PaisleyWraith/pseuds/PaisleyWraith
Summary: On one of his days off work, Kenny just takes a moment to reflect on what's led him here and what's to come in the future.





	Contentment

**Author's Note:**

> This is nothing but fluffy shit. I'm sick enough to take off work so here you go.

Kenny whistled as he set the dishes in the dishwasher, letting music blare through the apartment. It was still so wild to have days off of work. To still make plenty of money even if he wasn’t working around the clock. He had nothing to do today. Absolutely nothing.

Naturally, he spent it doing some housework. He wasn’t overly fond of cleaning, but it was hard to drag his feet when it was easy. A working dishwasher, a washer and dryer, vacuums. It was embarrassing to think these things were luxuries but damn if they didn’t make him feel like he had his shit in order.

Kenny snapped the door lock shut, letting the machine run as he leaned against the counter. This place was cute. Two large rooms, two bathrooms, a huge living room that looked over a little historical shopping district. Very easy to call home.

Home. As the years went on, it became easier and easier to separate that word from South Park. Karen had moved on much more quickly than Kenny, surprisingly. The kid went into reporting, which surprised him. He hadn’t recalled an interest in that sort of thing when she was younger, but she was damn good at her job.

Picking out his smartphone, he couldn’t resist switching to the latest picture from her. Grinning like a maniac, wearing a dress and hair professionally styled, the young college student held up a plaque from her college journalism association. First place for news writing, and she was only two years in.

They’d made it. Against everyone’s expectations. Sure, Kenny didn’t have a car. He and Karen had food, clothes, health insurance, places to live. They both had nice phones, Karen had a computer and a camera. She had her own bedroom at her brother’s place to live when she wasn’t at the dorms, though she wanted to get her own apartment eventually. Kenny wasn’t hurt by that. He understood.

He went back to his home screen, smiling. A picture of him and his fiancé at a football game, along with Stan. The trio. Kenny had found relief in leaving Cartman in the dirt. Without someone constantly telling him how worthless he was, somehow it was a lot easier to feel less worthless. Not entirely there yet, but…close. Close enough to feel good about quitting school, just working in the back of a craft store warehouse. It was still manual labor, but less than what he had done before. Close enough to be proud to provide his little sister with not only needs but luxuries. Even if his fiancé was the one to buy him the phone, and placed Karen on their phone line.

Fuck, it had been him who finally got Cartman off his back. Kind of. He’d set himself in the line of fire as well.

He’d snapped, one day. Cartman was after him as usual, trying to get a reaction. Kenny didn’t give in, tried never to.

“I saw Karen’s showing off her phone,” The boy had sneered over the table at him. “How many dicks did you suck to swing that for her?”

Being Kenny, he answered easily. “Just one,” He waggled his eyebrows, keeping a smile on his face. “I’m just that good.” Fucking asshole. He hated when he brought Karen into things, and prayed he never said anything in front of her. He doubted it, his beef was with Kenny for some reason. He had his suspicions.

“So she knows you’re a whore?” Cartman flung back over mashed potatoes. Kenny hadn’t been bothered, much. It was normal talk, really. He suspected the main reason was because Kenny was starting to get real money, achieve real success, and Cartman just could not let the ‘poor kid’ win at life while his stalled.

“Don’t you fucking call him that,” Kenny hadn’t even noticed Kyle come up behind the table. He leaned way back to look up, Kyle standing over him, hands on the back of his chair. “Fuck off, Fatass.” Pretty greenish eyes looked down at Kenny and visibly softened. “Want to eat with us, Ken?”

Kyle Broflovski. The guy had gotten smacked hard with puberty. Kid was hot as hell, and to make things worse, was extremely popular. Basketball, scholarships, handsome. He fell into another crowd…a much nicer one. One that encouraged his dreams and praised his ideas. Under encouragement, Kyle flourished. He was the top of the school, had girls (and boys) throwing themselves at him left and right. Aside from Token, he was probably the richest kid in school.

A bit of a change from the kid Kenny grew up with. Enough that he felt like a leech for hanging around him.

“Kinny is hanging out with us, right?” Cartman turned to Butters, who was looking rather unhappy. His eyes flit between Cartman and Kenny, then up to Kyle. Cartman had nearly crushed the guy, draining the sweet kid of most of his light. Kenny made a point to hang around Butters Stotch. He needed someone.

“Actually, I think he’s trying to eat. So you wanna shut the fuck up, you stupid fuck?” Kyle was getting unreasonably angry if his swearing was getting less eloquent.

“Why you care, Kal?” Cartman snickered, pudgy fingers tapping his chin. “Was it your dick he sucked for it?”

Cartman usually left Kyle alone these days. The kid was a Golden Boy, sure, but he’d also gotten pretty good at kicking ass when needed. That and he made some very tall, jock friends who were more than happy to kick the shit out of the least liked person in school.

Kyle’s hands moved from the chair to Kenny’s shoulders, and he was startled by the feeling. Like his balance suddenly went off, sending him into a dizzying spiral.

“Kenny doesn’t need anyone’s help.” Kyle’s voice was firm, and, Kenny swore, held a note of pride. He blinked, staring back up at Kyle as the other spoke. “Much less mine. Butters, come on. Grab Kenny’s tray, too.”

Looking relieved, the boy did as asked, and Kyle squeezed Kenny’s shoulders.

“C’mere, Ken,” He’d whispered, and Kenny was gone. He stood, towering over the curly-haired boy, but it was the shorter kid who held the most ferocity in his gaze. He sent a sneer towards Cartman as he wrapped an arm around Kenny, around his waist rather than something sensible like shoulders. Yep. He was a goner. He took his tray from Butters as Kyle pointed out his table, where Stan sat worrying his lip and offering a relieved wave when he caught sight of them.

“Fine. Maybe I’ll see Karen with a new laptop next,” Cartman’s voice was more bitter rather than the obnoxiously conversational tone he’d used previously. “Take your little-”

He called Kyle something specific, insulting his religion and possibly his sexuality in one fell swoop. Kyle didn’t move, but Kenny could feel it. His hand gripped Kenny’s waist and did not let go.

“I’ll kick his ass, Kyle.” Kenny offered, voice lowering. He would not tolerate Kyle getting heat for Kenny’s life.

Kyle actually laughed, and Kenny was struck as he realized again, how much Kyle had grown up.

“So you’ll fight for me, but not yourself.” Kyle looked up at him, smirking. God, yes. Kenny let that image burn into his mind, his skin, his soul. Good-looking bastard.

“You’ll fight anyone, I know that,” Kenny had joked and Butters beside them had grinned as he hopped to sit next to Stan.

Another smirk, bordering on flirtatious. Kyle was blushing, finally letting go of him. “Well, if you want to employ that for your own gains, I’ll work for free.” 

“How about I just take you out, instead?” Kenny blurted to his childhood friend. Kyle’s brow arched.

He’d been turned down.

Kyle had freaked out, and Kenny had definitely taken it to heart. Or would have, if he had time to. He had a stammering Kyle show up at his house that evening, at his window, explaining that he’d like the chance to get to know Kenny again. And then maybe, yeah. Maybe. 

Maybe had been finding out Kyle had been proud of him, had actually looked to Kenny, the ugly, perverted, poor kid from the other side of the train tracks, like an inspiration on what to be. Found him hardworking, honest, had claimed Kenny would forever be a better person than he could ever achieve. Had told Kenny, repeatedly, that he didn't pity him. His desire to spoil and treat gently was due to who Kyle was, not necessarily who Kenny was. Maybe was falling right back into a routine of being friends, then falling into another category altogether. 

And now.

Now Kyle was away at work, working under a public defender. He’d be back soon, the office closed fairly early. Now Kenny and he were living together, had been sharing a room for years. Now they had a set date, where Kenny would shed his last name once and for all, and finish his transformation.

If he could go back to that moment, look at himself, he wasn’t sure his old self would even recognize him. Kenny was skinny, but lean, muscles just barely defined under a healthy frame. Wearing clothes that were less than three years old, flipping through the pictures on his touchscreen phone. Wearing self-respect like a cloak, his cheerful nature backed by actual happiness rather than a determination to actually be happy. Standing here in his home, with his king-sized bed he shared with Kyle and Karen’s room she’d decorated herself and a good haircut and piercings just because he wanted them. Food in the fridge that he could turn into actual meals, once Kyle had taught him, and hundreds of thousands of little memories that made life worth so much. So much.

He was happy.

Stan and Butters were in a group chat with them, Craig worked as IT for a company in the same area Kenny did, meaning they went to lunch often together. As a result, Tweek and Kyle had become close friends, a secret prodigy and the Golden Child. Cartman was a bad memory at this point, as was his family. No one had ever expected him to make anything of himself. Here he was. 

Kenny was getting married. He was being promoted to supervisor. He had enough free time to visit Karen, or their friends, or quality time with Kyle, whatever he wanted. He paid half the rent and utilities. He looked good, felt good, and was surrounded by everything good. Yeah, some days sucked, but that was expected. That was normal. The helplessness and inevitability that sunk into his skin in South Park had been washed away.

Kenny leaned against the window, turning the white-gold band on his finger.

_Blip!_ His phone chirped happily at him.

**Kyle B: On my way home. Got a story to tell. Fucking asshole was in. Want anything?**

Kenny smiled.

**Kenny M: I’m good, babe. See you soon.**

He sent the message, reveling in the heart he got in return.

Everything was well. Kyle was working his way up and finishing school, Karen was head of her department and was going to graduate in two years with higher marks than Kenny ever had. For him, he had the absolute privilege of just having a really good life, full of good things to come.

In that moment, a cool January in the mountains of Colorado, Kenny McCormick was finally happy.


End file.
